A Second Chance
by VincentGrimm
Summary: It has been almost five years since Cloud and his comrades defeated Sephiroth and saved the planet but now an item of Sephiroth's has been discovered by a young man who may end up rewriting history and accidentally bringing back the mighty Sephiroth
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Without Warrior Agility

Some people were not destined for greatness, life was complicated enough without _fate_ stepping in and causing trouble. Up until today, Zak had been one of such people. Six foot, short brown hair and dark brown eyes, his father had been the protector of Nibelheim – a local hero! But this _hero-status_ had not been passed down. In fact, it was past midday and he was still in bed, through the window a small patch of sunlight was reflecting off a picture of him and his father. To Zak, the small patch of sunlight felt more like a beam of molten daggers burning into his sleep-filled eyes. A long, pale arm reached out of bed but ended up being too short. Zak groaned and pulled the duvet over his head. Not that this worked. He simply heated up. Eventually, life got the better of him. Grumbling like a good 'un, Zak rolled out of bed and headed to his en suite – time to face the day!

Zak flicked on the shower and waited a few minutes for the room to fill with steam. Moments later he stepped into the shower only with a cry he stumbled back out, managing to keep his balance by grabbing a hold of the sink. Having forgotten to equalize the temperature he had inadvertently just dived into a scorching hot shower. It was acts like this that had made his father realise that hero-status would never be a family trait; it was amazing that Zak had actually leant to feed himself.

In the shower the minutes just flew by, aided by the torrent of warm water that created artificial rivers down his body before reaching the floor and escaping into the wider drains of Nibelheim. Zak made no massive attempt to wash – by his maths, being in a shower guaranteed freshness throughout the day.

Post-shower, Zak got himself dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before throwing open his curtains and squinting at the panoramic view – _today_, he vowed, _was the day!_ Grabbing his father sabre from under the bed and attaching it to his belt – Zak grabbed a quick breakfast and headed for the mountains.

The plan that Zak followed most days, was if he kept to this side of the bridge then all the fiends he encountered would be relatively weak; allowing him plenty of training. If he crossed the bridge he knew that he would be out of his league. Unfortunately, he didn't get that far as he crossed the main square, a large coyote dived from behind the old car knocking him clean off his feet and skidding along the dirt path. Zak had never expected this; fiends rarely ventured into the village as many of the occupants had rifles and the coyotes had learnt not to cross them; who said memories weren't genetic? The coyote growled as Zak got back to his feet drawing the sabre.  
_This training is as good as any!_ Zak mused.

Zak looked around, it was cold outside and so no one had ventured out; surely someone must have heard the trouble? Zak cursed and looked back at the coyote, he would have to fight alone.  
He bolted forward; as did the coyote. The coyote dodged his blade and dived, downing the human a second time. This time the sabre was knocked clear of Zak's reach and he was sent crashing onto a pile of discarded rock from a garden excavation, bits of slate dug into his back. The coyote dived pinning him beneath its massive bulk. Zak managed to grab its jaws to stop it eating him.  
"Get off!" he managed to shout punching it, but Coyote's, Zak was learning, were actually pretty tough. The coyote cut Zak with its claws. Zak released one hand and patted around for some sort of weapon. His other hand was coming loose on the coyote and he was moments from certain death when his hand found a particularly nasty piece of slate. Zak roared and ran it home between two of the coyote's ribs and then twisted, causing it to splinter. Dark blood coated Zak's shirt and jeans but he was alive. Zak kicked the coyote sending it crashing against into the path. Zak jumped to his feet but the coyote was still combat ready, driven by a primal need to eat, again it dived forwards sending Zak crashing into a fence of upright slate. Zak caught the coyote by the throat this time but it took both hands to hold it in place.  
_The slate didn't phase it!_ Zak thought in both anger and shock. Suddenly the slates behind them shifted and they both slipped landing back on the ground, the coyote rolled out of the way to avoid Zak attacking.  
"Zak!" shouted a girl his age throwing who came bolting across the square. The sound distracted the Coyote just enough for Zak to kick it away from him and run. The girl scooped up his Sabre and threw it at Zak, just as the coyote got to its feet and gave chase.  
"Behind you!" she pointed – although Zak pretty much knew where he was about to get attacked from. His fingers closed around the sabre as it twirled through the air. Turning on his feet, Zak brought the sword to bare, only to be surprised at how close the coyote was.  
As it happened, fate was watching and for her plan to come to bare, something special had to happen. In a stroke of luck like no other, the sabres blade was flat in the air, the Coyote slid right onto it like butter driving Zak backwards but still victorious. The girl, Sapphire, laughed as she looked over Zak's shoulder at the heap of dead dog on the floor.  
"Nice kill," she said. Sapphire was named exactly that because of her hair colour, sapphire of course, and the fact that she only wore blue. Zak brushed the dirt and dust off him and re-sheathed the sabre.  
"I didn't expect it to be that strong" said Zak running a hand gingerly over the wounds on his back.  
"We all get surprised," she said  
"I'm just not used to it," said Zak, completely ignoring the fact that he had killed a beast that weighed in at the same weight as himself although armed with claws as standard which means he had plenty of warriors bragging rights.  
"Want to patrol together?" Sapphire asked.  
"Sure," said Zak knowing that Sapphire was as good a swordsman as himself "Let me just go get changed." He looked down at his bloody clothes – he looked cool as a warrior but also looked like he would smell a bit if he stayed out in the sun too long.

After an entire day of patrolling and talking they found no other fiends, which was quite a disappointment. "Night," said Sapphire hugging Zak and walking away towards her home. Zak turned and walked back to his, time for another long sleep after an especially standard day. Regardless, he missed his bed so much; just the fight with the coyote had threatened to put him out for a whole week.  
Crashing into bed, Zak was quickly asleep, with no idea that tomorrow, the fate that had thrown the coyote at him, was preparing an even greater curve-ball.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 - A Warriors Diary

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Banging on Zak's door awoke him. He threw on his clothes and went to answer the door, his hand tightly on his sword. When he threw the door open he found the square empty. Above him it was a full moon and quite windy. A large gust of wind pushed past him into his home blowing items off shelves, Zak coughed and opened his eyes again. His eyes were drawn to the Shin-Ra mansion, a light blazed in one of its windows, no one had entered the mansion in years, it was said to be immensely dangerous for even the most skilled of warriors.

Zak crossed the street and pushed open the gate, it opened without protest or sound. Zak walked over to the large oak doors which had been closed and locked since the Shin-Ra gave it up. He put a single hand on the door and pushed lightly. The door opened revealing a cavernous entrance hall. Zak stepped inside closing the doors behind him. The room was icily cold making his breath crystallise in front of him. The light was coming from one of the upstairs rooms. Zak walked up the decrepit stairs and crossed the landing into the room on his right which was where the candles burnt. The fireplace seemed to have been knocked through. Zak stepped through the hole onto a set of wooden beams set into a slightly slanting staircase. Zak walked down it slowly; water seeped from the roof and slid eerily down the wall. Near the end of the staircase Zak slipped and was sent spiralling down into the basement.

With a crash he landed on his side in the cold basement where purple torches burnt in long forgotten brackets. Zak coughed getting the inhaled dust from his lungs and back into the air. Zak dragged himself to his feet and looked around; _walls, dust and a bad smell of disinfectant_ he mused. Zak walked down to the two doors at the end of the hallway. Zak tried the first door which did not budge even after him kicking it with as much force as he could muster. He swore rubbing his foot and leant on the other door which opened. "Oh…" said Zak but landed on his side winding himself and being unable to finish his obscenity. He lay there flat on his back looking up at the roof. The room was dark except for a single candle which was lad upon a desk at the very end of the room. Zak walked past the immense library of red felt bound books to the desk at the end. Zak pulled back the red winged chair and sat down, it was incredibly comfortable. Zak looked at the books upon the desk, each one seemed to be a document about some sort of experiment, it meant nothing to Zak. Zak threw the book back upon the desk and went rooting through the drawers. He found nothing but notes on subjects and ink bottles. "Helpful" mused Zak sitting back in the chair and looking around. It was a beautiful room but it could do with a clean. Zak pushed the chair back and went to put his feet upon the desk but his feet collided with it. "Damn" said Zak examining the desk to make sure that he had caused no damage and noticed that there was a drawer. He pulled on the secret drawer. It was empty with the exception of a black book and a silver pen. Zak removed the items from the drawer and sat back in the chair. The pen had an unusually sharp nib and Zak pocketed it. He opened the book to the first page and cursed. He flicked through the book and found that it was a diary and the writer had impossibly scruffy handwriting. Zak could only make out the words Jenova and Masamune, none of which Zak understood. On the final page a silver ring fell from between the pages, Zak picked it up and examined it; it had no hallmark or any sign that it had ever been worn. Zak flicked to the page that it had fallen from; there was a message in clear handwriting:

_To whom it may concern,_

_The item you are holding is a very volatile magic item and I leave it to you, be careful._

Zak examined the rest of it, nothing. On the spine of the book there was an S knitted into it with silver thread. Zak placed the diary upon the desk and put on the ring, it was a perfect fit for him. He lay back examining it in the almost none-existent light, it glittered beautifully. "Enough for tonight" he told himself getting to his feet. Zak turned to push the chair back to the desk when he saw a silver strand of hair. Zak lifted it up and held it to the light; it was too long to be one of his. Zak curled it around his fingers and snapped it. The hair cut into his skin causing Zak to cry out in shock and let it go. The hair floated back down onto the seat. Zak examined the razor thin cut on his fingers then looked back at the strand of hair. "That's weird" he said to himself before turning away and leaving the basement and mansion.


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 - Let Conversion Commence

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Zak awoke flat on his back on his bedroom floor, right next to his bed, fully clothed, shoed and armed. "What the hell?" he said sitting up and looking around. Zak shrugged and got undressed before getting into the shower. This time, when he forgot to equalise the temperature, he did not fall over when he stumbled he managed to keep his balance easily. Zak flicked the temperature and got into the shower. Again Zak sat there letting his hair fall around his face. Minutes later he got back out, this was his almost daily routine, he dried his hair but today it settled differently, this time two long strands of white hair fell down either side of his face. Zak tried brushing it back over and over but it did not stay "Strange but I like it" he said examining himself in the mirror. He put on a black long-sleeved shirt and black trousers and attached the sword and sheath to them before setting off out.

Again Zak set off towards the square, this time he was going to call in on Sapphire and see if she wanted to come hunting. People were out today sunbathing as the sun was almost as hot as it was in Cost del Sol. Suddenly Zak stumbled forwards and fell to his knees, his head with in impossibly amounts of pain, it felt as though someone was forcing data into his brain causing it to swell. Zak looked up to see small dragons killing the people of his town. They first came from the valley near the mansion but one or two were attacking from other places. Suddenly he was knocked back to his feet and he whirled around looking for fiends but there was none, people just sat around sunbathing. Zak gasped for breath, that vision had hurt him. Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of beating.

Zak looked towards the mansion and the dragons were coming. Zak drew the sword with practiced ease and climbed up the water tower waving his sword. The dragons targeted him and shot forwards. Suddenly Zak was hit by the mind crushing headache and he saw the first dragon go left around him and try to hit him with its tail, the second came towards him and the third took out the tower with its claws while the fourth came over the houses and killed the two sunbathers from above. Then Zak was back in the actual time and the dragons were seconds away

"I see you" whispered Zak pointing his sword at the oncoming dragons. Anyone as weak as Zak would be crying at the sight of three dragons speeding towards him but something was giving Zak the feeling of immortality. As the first dragon attacked Zak rolled to his right and sliced its tail off before jumping and running his sword into the second pinning it to the tower. Grabbing a hold of the seconds wing Zak swung down and stabbed the third before it took out the tower. Zak climbed back up on top of the tower and jumped off towards the sunbathers. The dragon came over the houses but was greeted by Zak who ran it through and threw its body onto the square. Zak twirled his sword and resheathed it.

Zak looked down at the square, blood was splashed across the tower and four highly powerful dragons lay dead, an impossible feat for someone was weak as Zak. Sapphire was sat on her window sill, mouth wide open, Zak had moved as if he already knew what was about to happen he had become a warrior in a single night. Sapphire dropped from her window and ran over to Zak

"That was amazing!" she said laughing and hugging her friend "You have your fathers skill, and more!" she giggled hysterically "Nibelheim has a new protector!" she shouted. The sunbathers shook Zak's hand thanking him for saving their lives while others came outside to hear what had just happened and to congratulate Zak. Zak couldn't help smiling at all the commotion, suddenly he gasped; the ring had turned red hot. But seeing as he noticed it the ring began to cool suddenly. _Thank you_ thought Zak with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 - Returning To the Manor

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When Zak awoke half way through the night he felt like visiting the manor again and so he got dressed and stepped out into the cold night and walked the short walk to the manor. The night was crisp and the sky was clear bathing the small town in moonlight. Zak jumped the fence and pushed the doors to the manor wide open before stepping inside and pushing them swiftly closed.

He went up to the bedroom and walked down the hidden staircase to the basement and went back to his chair at the back of the office. He jumped and landed in the seat and picked up the black diary and began to read it. This time he could read the writing and it made complete sense. The thing he was reading was new to him but it felt like he was reading his life, if that makes any sense. The Soldier that Zak was reading about was about as forthcoming with information as the diary was likely to project a video of events. Zak figured that this soldier was only writing the diary out of habit and not to put down the events of that day and how he felt, merely a record of the days he had worked and where. Zak tossed the diary onto the table in front of him and picked up a red book read about a page before throwing it back onto the desk. "What to do" he said to himself putting his hands behind his head. Zak heard a click somewhere in the distance "Who has entered my home?" he said aloud smiling.

Sapphire stood in the massive entrance hall looking up at the large stained-glass windows "This place is beautiful" she whispered. Behind the staircase there was a set of double doors and so she went through them and then through the second set which lead into an enormous garden. Sapphire walked beneath the trees running her fingers through the leaves before sitting on an old fashioned bench and looking up at the stars. After a few minutes of looking at the night sky she suddenly remembered why she was there, to find Zak. Jumping to her feet she ran back into the house then into the hall; which was when the shadow descended upon her.

Zak was crouched upon the banister looking down at the shady entrance hall and saw Sapphire enter, he frowned and stepped off the edge landing silently behind her

"You know that you're not supposed to be here" said Zak making Sapphire scream and jump away from him.

"Don't do that!" she shouted

"Sorry" said Zak shrugging "I thought you might have noticed me land behind you"

"Well I didn't alright" she snapped, then her tone changed and became softer "You know that you're not supposed to be in here, Dannyl will do his nut it he finds out that we have both been in here you know how angry he gets when people mention this place"

"I don't understand him" said Zak walking towards the entrance "Why is he so protective over this place?"

"Well we will never find out hiding in here" said Sapphire holding open the door "What were you doing here anyway?" she asked. They both stepped through the doors and began to walk along the path

"I guess he knows" said Zak pointing to the square. A group of adults were walking over, fully armed.

"What the hell!" shouted Dannyl "Are you two stupid? You two could have been killed in there!" Dannyl was in his late forties and balding. "We just saw lights on" said Zak

"I do not want you ever to go near this place again!" he shouted "You hear me?" Sapphire and Zak nodded, Sapphire was looking down but Zak kept his gaze fixed on Dannyl. The adults turned and walked away.

"He does have a point" said Sapphire looking at the floor "Good night" she kissed his cheek and walked away. Zak waved his left hand above his head and the lights within the mansion dimmed and extinguished.

When Zak awoke his body was covered in cold sweat. When he got into the shower he noticed that his body was changing, more than a teenagers body should. His muscles were toned and larger, he had not trained for weeks. Not only that but he could not remember what he had done the night before, all he remembered was waking up to hear knocking then opening the front door, then suddenly darkness.

Zak grabbed the house phone, once out of the shower, and dialled the number of his physician. He paused the put the phone down noticing that it would sound quite stupid to phone him up and ask why he was getting more toned by sleeping. Zak returned to his room and lay down upon the bed looking out of his window at the reactor upon mount Nibel and remembered and advertisement he had seen saying that Shin-ra physicians will try and help you whatever the problem may be. Zak smiled _Time to see if they were telling the truth_ he thought getting to his feet.


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 - To Midgar he cometh

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Zak quickly packed a small bag and collected his fathers travelling cloak. It was a long black cloak complete with hood, his father had been a bigger build that him and so the cloak dragged along the floor a few inches but Zak was not bothered. After turning off the water mains and electricity mains to his home Zak put up the hood and left his home. Zak passed the water tower and the old car when he paused just on the outskirts of the village

"What is it?" he asked turning around to see Sapphire crouched on the roof of the old car. Today she had her fathers sword slung across her back. It was a long platinum double ended sword which could be separated in the centre to create two swords. "Where are you going?" she asked straightening up.

"I am off to Midgar" replied Zak, no need to tell her about his problems.

"What's in Midgar?" she asked

"It's personal" said Zak walking forwards. Sapphire jumped and landed ahead of him

"What about Nibelheim?" she asked

"What about it?" asked Zak looking back at the town then back at Sapphire

"You have become a powerful warrior, without you we are defenceless" she said

"I honestly do not care" said Zak stepping around her. As he walked forwards he was forced to duck as Sapphire almost decapitated him. Zak twirled around drawing his own weapon and pointing it at her

"What are you doing?" he asked

"If you won't stay, then I'll have to defeat you" she said holding out the weapon in one hand.

"You won't be able to" said Zak

"We'll see" said Sapphire and attacked again. _End this_ said a voice in Zak's mind as the ring grew hot. Zak struck the weapon and sent Sapphire crashing into the old car. By the time Sapphire had sat up Zak was nowhere to be seen.

When Zak awoke he was stood by the small, newly built, railway line "What?" he said looking around.

The bemused Zak walked for over an hour following the tracks of the railway until he heard the sound of a coming train. Whirling around Zak began to wave his arms. The long grey train slowed to a halt

"Where are you going sailor?" asked the driver leaning out

"Midgar" said Zak "And yourself?"

"Midgar also young sir" said the driver opening the door "Climb on in"

As it turned out the train was used to transport parts for reactors, Midgar had been under attack five years ago and so now the reactors were needed more than ever. Sitting with his back against the wall of the train Zak dosed off into a deep slumber.

He awoke in the old hotel in Nibelheim. Looking around he saw a dark haired young man lying in the bed next to his own. Further on there was a blonde haired Soldier. Zak swung his legs out of the bed and got to his feet. He crossed to the door and threw it wide open giving a soldier a fright causing his gun to go off and shoot a melon sized hole in the roof "Sir!" he cried gasping "I did not hear you" he said a tad unnecessarily.

"You get some sleep" said Zak in a cold low voice. The guard nodded and walked into the room discarding his weapon and slumping into the bed that Zak had just occupied. Zak strolled over to the large windows and leaned upon the mantle piece and looked out at the Nibelheim mountain range, it was a beautiful sight a collection of mountains that were surrounded by mist. Today the sun was sparkling through the mist and from behind the mountains causing the sunlight to turn into azure shards as it hit the town. Zak looked sideways into a side window and saw his reflection. Zak gasped and woke up; the train driver looked down at him

"Good morning" he said

"Where are we?" asked Zak looking out of the train window

"We're nearing Midgar" said the driver pointing out of the front window. They were near a tunnel which would enter the city which was hazy in the distance. With a roar the train vanished into the tunnel and for another few minutes they travelled in the dark before they reached the ramp that circled the centre giving Zak a view of the city's six plates and a single missing part.

"What happened?" asked Zak pointing to the missing part

"No-one knows" said the driver shrugging "There's so many different stories"

"Which one do you believe?" asked Zak

"I don't" said the driver concentrating on the driving. Zak nodded and returned to looking back at the city. This was his first time in Midgar yet he seemed to know his way around by looking down at the city.

The train slowed to a complete stop beneath the Shin-Ra building.

"This is our stop" said the driver. The train slowed to a complete stop and Zak jumped out, the driver tossed him his bag

"I hope you find what you're looking for" said the driver saluting Zak. Zak nodded

"Thank you" said Zak saluting back and walking away. The city was smoggy and dirty but the Shin-Ra building was massive and glittering, all except for the top seven floors which were burnt out. Zak strolled into the foyer of the building and looked around, it was nothing like he had ever seen; security cameras, armed guards, laser sensors, explosive proof glass, digital locks on ever single door Zak could see, pressure pads, X-Ray scanning units, infrared gun cameras, motion detectors and steel floor tiles that could be electrified at the touch of a button. "Impressive" muttered Zak.

"Yes, sir?" asked the woman behind the desk

"I'm here to see the physician" said Zak

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked

"No" said Zak. The woman chewed the end of her digi-pen

"Go right up, floor twenty two" she said handing him a visitors badge.

As Zak walked along the foyer many different cameras scanned the badge, if he had no been wearing it he would have been blasted over seven hundred times within a minute. The guards parted to let him pass and then unlocked the elevator for him. When Zak got inside there was a pair of armed guards within the lift.

"Which floor?" asked a helmeted soldier

"Twenty two" said Zak. The soldier read his badge and confirmed it before pressing the 22 button.

The elevator sped upwards swiftly and quietly. When the doors pinged open Zak expected the floor to be like any other office building but the square, which had many other doors leading away, was as highly protected as the foyer. Zak passed many sets of guards before being pointed through a plain white door into a large white room. A young man looked up over his square spectacles

"Yes?" he asked

"My name's Zak and I was wondering if you could figure out just what is going on with me" said Zak. The doctor motioned to the table. Zak set his bag upon a chair and sat on the table.

"What's going on?" asked the doctor. Zak explained about the enhanced strength, speed, weapon skills and the visions. The doctor wrote something on a card

"Give this to the guard in the lift" said the doctor handing the card to Zak

"What is it?" asked Zak reading the numbers 26

"A psychiatrist" said the doctor. Zak got to his feet and walked out of the room throwing the card away; he rode the elevator to the bottom floor and walked out into the city of Midgar.


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 - The Hero of a Planet

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Zak wandered the city, it was constantly warm there as many factories from the upper plate disposed of their air down below the plate but something about the never changing scenery made the area cold. Zak had asked around for a place to stay but not a single place had any room. Zak continued to wander until he came to sector 5. A large church had been converted to a tavern, which also had a place to stay. Zak wandered inside, the entire bar was decorated by natural flowers, the place still resembled a church as the owner had not wanted to decimate such a place. Only down one side there was the long bar behind which a young girl was serving. Zak wandered over and asked about the room, the young dark haired girl walked away and returned with a busty young woman.

"I apologise but the room is already taken" she said. Zak nodded

"Okay then" he said. As Zak got up to leave he recognised the young woman

"Aren't you Tifa?" he asked. The woman blushed and looked away

"Yes" she said sitting down and looked back at Zak

"I thought so" he said smiling "You're a legend in Nibelheim, two of our townsfolk saving the world" Tifa blushed again, she had never liked the publicity.

"It wasn't me that did the work" she said "Most of it was" but she trailed off, a hurt look in her eyes.

"What?" asked Zak

"Cloud" she finished "He's never fully recovered, he was fine at the beginning but then he began to say that Sephiroth was coming back" Tifa took a drink of water and continued "He began to make plans to track down every last item that belonged to Sephiroth, he set off for the North Cave and collected Sephiroth's things before coming back"

"So he did return?" said Zak

"Yes" said Tifa "But now he never leaves his home "I have all Sephiroth's belongings, someone might come and try to take them" he always says and so he's always cooped up inside"

"Where is his home?" asked Zak

"Sector two" said Tifa. Zak got to his feet and swept out of the bar into the artificial night created by the plate.

Zak asked for directions every so often to make sure that he was on the right path, in the end he came to a small grey bungalow, quite an ugly one but by Midgar standards it was probably quite nice. Zak knocked on the door which was thrown open instantly and he was face to face with the tip of a sword.

"Yes?" said a voice from the dark interior

"Cloud Strife?" asked Zak. Cloud lowered the sword and looked at Zak. He could sense enormous power from the kid but he couldn't sense the root of the energy. People who had used materia for a long time could sense power and so Cloud was very good.

"come in" said Cloud stepping aside. Zak stepped inside the cold house. His eyes were instantly drawn to a large black wardrobe in the corner of the room, it seemed to be radiating energy.

"I see you're drawn to the wardrobe" said Cloud. Zak looked back at Cloud, he was incredibly pale but the look made him look even deadlier as it contrasted dramatically with his spiky blonde hair.

"yes" said Zak looking back at it "What's inside it?"

Cloud smiled taking a key from the mantle piece and unlocking the cabinet. Behind the two large doors was a sheet of impenetrable glass behind which was a coat, an enormous sword, a pair of gloves and a pair of thin black sunglasses.

"Sunglasses?" commented Zak

"They were inside the coat pocket, reading glasses it seems or maybe they were just used to hide the Mako colour of his eyes" said Cloud. Zak did not need telling who Cloud was talking about.

"This isn't the source of the power" said Zak looking through the glass at the items within.

"Very good" smiled Cloud kneeling and opening a drawer. Four spheres lay behind another sheet of glass; one yellow, one green, one blue and one, which was radiating the most power, black.

"Sephiroth's materia" said Cloud "Too powerful for any human to use, one touch on the, and you'll explode"

"So how did he use them?" asked Zak

"Sephiroth was no human" said Cloud

"So what was he?" asked Zak.

Cloud smiled at Zak, it was not often that someone would come to the house in order to hear about the 'great' Sephiroth.

Cloud took his seat near the cabinet while Zak sat upon the sofa. They spoke for hours, covering the ideas that Sephiroth would be more powerful than ever were he to come back and Cloud's ideas on how he would be able to become corporeal again. They spoke until the sun went down and until the clock read 00:00.

"Midnight" said Cloud looking at the clock

"Long conversation" said Zak yawning

"You can stay here" said Cloud "As long as you don't mind the sofa"

"I don't" said Zak.

"Then goodnight" said Cloud walking to his room

"Cloud" said Zak. Cloud turned around

"Yes?" asked Cloud

"Congratulations" said Zak "For defeating Sephiroth" Cloud nodded and went into his room closing the door.


	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 - Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Cloud rolled over and opened his eyes; it was weird having another sleeping in the same house. Cloud wondered how Zak was doing and so got to his feet and crossed to the door. He pulled it open slightly and looked at the back of the couch. Nothing moved and so Cloud pulled the door fully open. The first thing Cloud noticed was the figure stood by the wardrobe. Cloud grabbed his Ultima Sword and held it out at arms length.

"Who are you?" he shouted. Zak turned around, his eyes blazing a beautiful green

"I'm Zak" he said innocently holding up his hands

"You are not" said Cloud. The person looked like Zak but his eyes were green and Sephiroth's coat fitted him lengthways but Zak had shorter shoulders than Sephiroth had.

"Good point" said Zak. Clouds sword was struck causing it to explode, Zak then threw his sabre which went through Cloud's shoulder and into the wall pinning him there. Cloud gasped, it had been years since he had felt real pain. Zak picked up the Masamune from the wardrobe before destroying the glass that kept the materia out of reach. He leant down and picked them up pocketing them.

"I thought no human could touch them" said Zak crossing the room to Cloud "Am I less human then?" he asked before slamming Clouds head against the wall. As Cloud passed out he heard Zak say in Sephiroth's distinct cold voice

"I guess you were never able to protect me, just like you failed to protect her" said Zak before leaving the house.

When Cloud awoke the sun was up and he was still nailed to the wall. Roaring he ripped the sword out and stormed out of his house to sector 5 and Tifa's bar.

"Cloud!" she shrieked in happiness as he walked in but she did not hug him as she noticed the badly bandaged wound, Cloud had merely cello taped a cloth over the wound

"What happened?" she asked

"Zak" said Cloud "He's possessed by Sephiroth!" Tifa raised an eyebrow

"Are you sure?" she asked "You look like you haven't slept in ages"

"Look!" shouted Cloud showing her the wound then the sabre "It's definitely Sephiroth"

"What do you mean he possessed him?" asked Tifa

"One second it was Zak, next second I was impaled against the wall" said Cloud "The power I sensed in Zak must have come from Sephiroth"

"I thought you collected all of Sephiroth's items?" said Tifa

"I must have missed one" said Cloud thinking back, but he never remembered seeing anything that Zak was wearing on Sephiroth.

Zak sat upon a large boulder near Kalm; he crossed his legs and thought back wondering what he had done in Midgar.

_What are you doing?_ Asked a voice in Zak's mind making him jump

"Who's that?" asked Zak

_Can't you guess? _It said

"Yes" said Zak looking at the ring "Sephiroth, right?"

_Exactly_ thought Sephiroth _Now then, I want you to do this for me_

Authors note: I'm not putting what Sephiroth says in "" because he is, technically, not saying anything, it's not a mistake it's what I believe is correct

"What?" asked Zak

_Take my materia from your pocket and crush it into powder_. Zak raised his eyebrows looking at the yellow materia, it was rock solid

_It might be rock solid but you can crush it with my help_. Zak nodded and crushed the materia into powder which lay glittering in his palms.

"Now what?" asked Zak

_Inhale it_ said Sephiroth.

"Is this safe?" asked Zak, he had remembered that people exposed to mako can undergo devastating effects and materia was mako.

_Half right_ thought Sephiroth _It comes from a materia spring, from the spring it is detoxed of its mako properties making it harmless, unless you equip it_

"Can't I just equip it?" asked Zak

_No, someone could take it from you, now inhale_

Zak obeyed putting the dust by his mouth and in one large intake of breath the powder vanished. Zak gasped and coughed as his head rush kicked in. He laughed leaning back but managed to keep his balance.

"That's amazing" he said smiling

_Now do the others_ commanded Sephiroth. Zak did the other two but paused on the black materia powder.

_Be careful, this is beyond any type of power anyone has ever had_ said Sephiroth _Do not take it all at once_

Zak ignored Sephiroth and took the black powder in one go. He screamed in agony as the pain rippled through his body and he fell off the boulder writhing upon the ground. Two minutes later he crawled to his feet, pure energy glittering around him. There was an explosion which turned the boulder to dust. The explosion continued outwards turning to flames which gutted Kalm inside out.

_I told you to take it in moderation_ said Sephiroth

"Oh shut up you backseat driver" said Zak. Power rippled around him

_Listen to me_ commanded Sephiroth. Zak weighed his options, if Sephiroth was as powerful as he was supposed to be then he could probably kill Zak even without a body.

_Very true_ said Sephiroth _if you follow my plans then you will be my second in command once I get my body back_

"When I'm second in command" started Zak

_I will let you keep your new powers as I will have my own _said Sephiroth.

"Where to?" asked Zak

_Nibelheim_ said Sephiroth. An explosion beneath Zak's feet sent him shooting through the air followed by a hurricane of air currents. The air currents swept up the flames which came roaring after Zak but they could not hurt him, he was more powerful than any human alive.


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 - The Good Within

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Tifa and Cloud sat in the closed bar watching the television. It showed Kalm, which now had fire fighters attempting to put out the blaze but they knew that the flames were too powerful.

"That bastard" said Cloud turning off the TV by throwing a glass at it.

"Zak or Sephiroth?" asked Tifa

"Both of them" said Cloud getting to his feet

"Where are you going?" asked Tifa

"To find them" said Cloud

"They'll bury you!" she said

"Then get the others together" said Cloud "Nothing like the end of the world to get friends together"

"How are you going to find them?" asked Tifa

"I just will" said Cloud leaving the church.

Zak was now sat in the basement of the Shin-Ra Mansion messing around with his new magical powers.

_Are you having fun?_ Thought Sephiroth

"Incredible amounts" said Zak flicking a fireball which ricochets off the shelving unit and came back into his hand before it vanished.

_I don't want to have to spoil your fun_ said Sephiroth

"Yes you do" said Zak

_Good point _thought Sephiroth _But still; you do know that Cloud Strife and his friends will be here very soon to probably kill you_.

"I know" said Zak "But he's out of practice"

_Not for long, he's one of those people who will just keep coming back for more_

"You only get one death" said Zak

_Maybe not, Cloud is a genetic clone of myself and he might be able to survive, just like myself_

"Typical" said Zak turning one of the red books into ash in his hand.

Cloud's motorbike roared out of Midgar along the highway. He skidded diagonally across the road and onto the pavement, causing pedestrians to shout insults and at him, Cloud sped down a flight of stairs which led onto the fields which led towards Kalm. He opened the throttle wide and went speeding across the grassy open plains to the small two-lane road. Cars honked their horns as Cloud dodged and weaved between them, narrowly avoiding death each time a car would weave out in front of him. When the road cleared Cloud changed into the motorbikes final gear and shot away like a flash towards the smoke clouds of Kalm.

The fire fighters looked up as the black motorbike skidded to a halt. Cloud removed his sunglasses and looked up at the smoke clouds.

"What are you doing here?" asked a fire fighter walking over to Cloud. With his Mako-Enhanced vision Cloud could pick out cloud formations and a few of them were slightly shunted to the sides. Using his sixth magical sense he saw that something powerfully magic had punched through them and knocked them sideways.

"Nibelheim" whispered Cloud

"Pardon me?" said the fire fighter

"The man who caused this" said Cloud "He's gone to Nibelheim"

"How do you figure that?" asked the fire fighter looking at the sky then he looked back at Cloud's mako-green eyes

"Ah, Soldier" said the fire fighter. Cloud slipped on his sunglasses and jumped back onto the motorbike and fired it up. In a haze of dust he had left the fire fighter standing alone.

"Tifa!" shouted Cloud into his mobile phone "Zak's gone to Nibelheim, have you managed to contact anyone else?"

"Yes" said Tifa "Cid is picking the rest of them up and then bringing them to Midgar"

"Once he's picked you up come to Nibelheim" said Cloud "I might need your help"

Suddenly Cloud's phone went dead as he rode into the train tunnel which led to Costa Del Sol. Cloud's mind was filled with ruinous scenarios when he meets Zak in Nibelheim. A train almost turned Cloud to paste as his thoughts took his focus away from the driving.

"Motherfucker" said Cloud quickly and in a single breath as he managed to dodge it, but not completely. The trains mirror clipped Cloud's left elbow shattering it. Cloud gasped but managed to keep the bike steady. He was nearing the Costa del Sol coast. He used some of his curing magic to numb the pain until he was able to concentrate more. His head was buzzing from the agony in his left arm, his vision blurred. A train streaked up behind him and Cloud saw it at the last moment. Hitting the breaks on his bike Cloud skidded a full three hundred and sixty degrees riding opposite the train. He grabbed a hold of the train with his right arm and pulled himself closer. The tunnel was near ending and there would be no room for him to ride opposite the train. Cloud used stronger remedial magic and his left arm was usable, almost. The tunnel end was coming awfully close. Cloud braked again, this time he grabbed the back carriage of the train and used the rappelling cable, which he had used to get into the decimated North Cave, to latch the bike to the train. Cloud leaned his head against the bike letting out a breath he had been holding, though he had not noticed this as everything had happened so fast.

The train pulled Cloud for miles, Cloud did not know where it was heading but all he knew was that it was going in the general direction of Nibelheim.

During the day Sephiroth had been explaining to Zak what had happened when he had faced Cloud and his group. He went on to explain about Hojo and the Sephiroth clone and about how Cloud resurrected him using the black materia. By the time he was finished it was dark outside and Cloud was pulling into Nibelheim on him motorcycle.

On the way to Nibelheim Cloud had constantly been curing himself and was now slightly drained but his physical was fine. He was still out of training, out of energy but determined.

People looked out of their windows as Cloud pulled to a stop and drew his Buster Sword. He kicked open the gate and pushed the doors open.

Zak looked up at the roof of the basement

"Who's entered my home?" said Zak aloud

_Your home?_ thought Sephiroth

"Considering you're living in my head, then yes my house" said Zak.

Cloud was strolling up the stairs when, below him in the basement, Zak waved his hand sending out negative shockwaves. The house shook to its foundations. Glasses in the basement rattled, silver cutlery in the old dusty dining area rattled around upon the wooden tables. Cloud grabbed the banister to keep himself steady. The staircase exploded sending wooden shards shooting around the main hall. Cloud landed on his feet upon the first floor landing.

"He's quick on his feet" said Zak smiling. Cloud flattened himself against the floor as the windows on the first floor exploded inwards sending the shards flying at Cloud like glass-knives. Cloud rolled off the first floor, landing back on the ground floor, letting the glass explode as it hit the floor. The chandelier cable broke above him and Cloud had to roll out of its way as it hit the floor cracking the thick oak floors. Cloud growled, Zak was playing with him; pushing him back to the front doors. One of the doors on the ground floor exploded sending shards of wood shooting towards him again. Cloud sprinted flat out at one of the doors on the ground floor; he had to get out of the open and out of the target range.

Cloud pushed open the dining room doors and slammed them behind him. Cloud slid down the door gasping, he was incredibly out of shape Sephiroth had been floating in the life stream for five years getting stronger while Cloud was sitting on his ass protecting some items which would never have been stolen in the first place as no-one knew that they were there. The cutlery rattled upon the table

"You have got to be kidding me" said Cloud. The cutlery exploded off the table and sped towards him. Cloud roared and rolled forwards bringing the Buster Sword to bear. He struck the cutlery with the speed that he had once had. The cutlery was sent soaring back across the room and got impaled in the wall.

"Now that was classy" said Zak smiling

_I told you he was capable_ thought Sephiroth _He just needed the right encouragement_.

Cloud kicked down the door and jumped landing on the first floor and ran for the bedroom.

_Here he comes_ said Sephiroth. Cloud managed to find the switch that opened the secret door to the basement. Sprinting flat out Cloud made it to the bottom in seconds and strolled through the dark-dank cellar. He threw open the door and walked inside.

Zak was sat watching Cloud who was walking up the isle towards him, sword raised.

"Sephiroth or Zak?" asked Cloud

"A little of both" said Zak. Cloud stopped just over a meter away from the desk

"So, you evil?" asked Cloud sword still pointed at Zak

"I don't know" said Zak. There was a tremendous yellow flash and Cloud crashed through his own specimen tank and crashed into the wall.

_Nicely done_ thought Sephiroth. Cloud dragged himself to his feet, wiping small shards of glass from his shoulders, and picked up his Buster Sword and ran forwards raising it as he moved. Zak waved his arm again but Cloud rolled forwards as the shelving unit next to him exploded in a shower of long wooden barbs. Zak sat up straighter and fired a stream of flames at Cloud who blocked them with his sword causing him to stumble backwards. Cloud tapped into his own materia powers and sent a flash of lightning at Zak. Zak caught it in his palm. The sphere of energy increased in size and strength then he threw it back at him. Cloud struck the lightning aside and launched himself at Zak. Apparently Zak had discovered the knack of having a constant physical barrier that Sephiroth had often used in the field. Cloud collided with it and collapsed in a heap at Zak's feet. Zak held out his palm above Cloud's head. Cloud could feel the vibration of power.

_Kill him_ said Sephiroth. Zak was trying but he could not bring himself to kill the man who had saved the planet. Zak kept on trying to destroy Cloud but it would not work. Sephiroth could read these thoughts

_Fine_ he said _Let him go_. Zak lowered his hand and returned to his chair. Cloud straightened up slowly

"Why?" he asked. Zak just waved

"Get going" he said "You'll never get a second chance" Cloud was going to argue but decided against it and fled.


	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 - Back to Bedlam

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Cloud stumbled out of the mansion as the Highwind Mark 2 came floating down from the sky. The dust in the square was churned up into small hurricanes. Cid had rebuilt the Highwind, the only difference was that it was lighter and now had weapons; it would no longer be a pushover. Cloud grabbed a hold of the rope ladder and climbed upwards. Once he was aboard the Highwind turned and soared away.

"How'd it go?" asked Tifa meeting Cloud in the meeting room

"Not very well" said Cloud sitting down "He's still humane, he couldn't kill me but he certainly had the power to"

"So he isn't fully under Sephiroth's control?" said Tifa

"I'm not sure" said Cloud "While I was there I couldn't feel Sephiroth, just Zak"

"So what are you saying?" asked Tifa

"I don't know" said Cloud "There was no trace of Sephiroth from what I could feel, he was running under his own steam"

"So Sephiroth isn't in control?" said Tifa

"I don't know!" said Cloud leaning back "He may or may not be there"

Vincent walked into the room, he bowed slightly to Cloud

"It has been too long" said Vincent

"Yes" said Cloud nodding in agreement "Looks like Sephiroth has brought us together, again"

"It looks like he is good for something else besides killing" said Vincent leaning against the doorframe.

"True enough" said Cloud "But this time he's using someone else to do his business"

"That Zak fellow" said Vincent

"He's just a kid" said Cloud

"Who may just bring back Sephiroth" said Vincent drawing his rifle "One shot from this and Sephiroth goes back to being a little ball of non-existence"

"He's just a kid, _Vincent_" said Cloud putting stress on his name "You can't just kill him"

"How many will he kill if he is allowed to return?" asked Vincent

"Not that I don't want you to talk more but if you do carry on being talkative can you not argue" said Tifa to the two, usually, silent types. Vincent turned and walked away, skulking was something he seemed to do more and more lately.

Walking onto the bridge Cloud could see that Tifa had rallied just about everyone. The only one that was missing was Barrett

"Where's Barrett?" asked Cloud

"He wants to stay with Marlene" said Tifa "He says that he doesn't want to risk going up against Sephiroth again"

"I thought he'd be first in line" said Cloud

"A lot has changed" said Tifa "Now you need to tell them what's going on"

"Don't they know?" asked Cloud

"Yes" said Tifa "But you're our leader, it's up to you to lead us into battle"

"I don't want to lead anyone into battle" said Cloud "Barrett seems to have had the right idea" Cloud walked past Cid to the front of the deck and turned to his comrades.

"As some of you might know Sephiroth is trying to make a comeback" said Cloud "We might end up fighting him again, as you know last time it took all of our strength to over come him, this time he's stronger and smarter than ever and we're lazy" the others looked at each other

"I'm telling the truth" said Cloud "When was the last time we had a decent brawl? When was the last time we were pushed to the limit?" he looked around at them "Sephiroth will push us to the limit and far beyond it" Cloud put his hand on Cid's shoulder "With the Highwind we have a mobile operations base but that is all we have to our advantage, we all know a little about what he's capable of now we might just see how dangerous he can be"

"So what's Sephiroth up to now?" asked Yuffie

"At the moment Sephiroth is subdued within another body and so he is vulnerable" said Cloud "The problem is the person he is in is a teenager and Sephiroth is using that to his advantage by making us think he is a child but he has more power than the lot of us combined"

"So do we kill the kid?" asked Nanaki

"I don't want that to happen if we can help it" said Cloud

"It's the easiest way" said Vincent

"With Sephiroth there is no easy way" said Cloud

"But this way he is vulnerable to bullets, Sephiroth's more or less bullet proof" said Vincent.

The Highwind flew low over Midgar until they landed in the old sector 7 area. Unfortunately the city was not as it had been left. Shin-Ra soldiers were running the streets in squads rooting out criminals and they did not care who got in the way. Gunshots were coming from all sides of the city. Looking around Cloud could see countless bodies, many lay bruised and battered.

"What's going on?" asked Cloud to a passer by who seemed in shock

"The soldiers" he panted "They just came storming from the Shin-Ra building, the place is surrounded by guards, reinforcements have just arrived they're searching for someone, some kid just arrived and he killed the general of the soldiers! The soldiers are killing people until they find who killed the general" A gunshot rang out and the man collapsed as a battalion of soldiers came towards them.

"Cloud Strife?" asked a soldier. Cloud nodded his hand on his sword. The soldiers said nothing and continued onwards shooting pedestrians and shouting orders. Vincent drew his rifle and aimed at the soldier but Cloud slapped his rifle aside

"They'll kill us if we try that" said Cloud

"They're killing civilians!" said Vincent

"They're not the only ones" said Yuffie pointing at a lone figure slicing through people who were cowering in terror.

"That's him!" shouted Cloud "Get ready for battle!" he ordered. Zak looked up and smiled twirling the Masamune.

"Which one next?" asked Zak looking around at the other civilians who were still cowering. While Cloud and his friends had been flying in style to Midgar Sephiroth had discovered an old way, an _Ancient _way of returning lost souls to their bodies, though it was black magic Sephiroth knew that he would be able to do it.

_That one_ said Sephiroth. Zak sliced through the person Sephiroth had mentally indicated to

_How many is that?_ Zak counted under his breath

"Four" said Zak

_We need one more_ said Sephiroth. Zak felt his senses enhance _that one_ thought Sephiroth. Zak sliced through the soldier.

Cloud was about to go for Zak when he felt light-headed and collapsed.

"This is not the time!" said Vincent but his voice seemed muffled and far away.

Cloud landed in the city of the Ancients. Aeris was stood there. The young woman knelt down next to Cloud

"You need to stop him" she said, her voice seemed to echo throughout the city

"Aeris" said Cloud "How are you here?"

"You have to stop Sephiroth" she said

"How?" asked Cloud

"Just as you did five years ago" whispered Aeris "Time is running out"

"How long?" asked Cloud

"Hours" she whispered "You need to stop him killing in Midgar, the people he is killing will become the base for his resurrection, he is going to bring them here" her voice vibrated through Cloud. Aeris leant forwards and kissed Cloud on the cheek

"Now go" she whispered. Cloud woke up flat on his back in Midgar

"Cloud!" said Tifa

"We have to kill him!" said Cloud "Vincent!"

Vincent smiled from below his dark strands of hair and drew his rifle, death penalty. He raised it and fired. Zak twirled hitting the bullet back at Vincent. Cloud and the others gasped as Vincent was knocked back by his own bullet.

"See you soon" said Zak in Sephiroth's voice as he, and the five that had been killed, vanished.

"What did he mean?" asked Tifa

"Sephiroth's found a way to come back" said Cloud "We have to get to the city of the ancients"


	10. The Final Chapter

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The Final Chapter - The City of the Ancients

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The Highwind flew as low as possible and the crew took over flying while Cloud and his friends departed for the city. Cloud sprinted flat out through the cold and dreary city. The others were trying to keep up but Cloud was running on fury, it was time for Zak to die. Vincent streaked ahead of Cloud with in-human endurance, his red cape fluttered in the wind. Their footsteps echoed for miles as nothing but them moved in the dead city. Cloud and Vincent sped past the lake that was Aeris' tomb. They ran into the building that held the staircase down to the hidden area, where Sephiroth had killed Aeris. Cloud and Vincent descended the stairs and stopped when they ran into Zak's barrier, both of them stumbled backwards and fell over the bottom step of the staircase.

Zak was knelt in the centre of the platform, the five dead people in a pentagram around him, their blood linking each of them. Zak seemed to be chanting under his breath, Cloud and Vincent could tell as his breath was crystallising it was so cold. The lake around him had frozen completely. Blood dripped off the platform and hit the frozen pond. The room was dark except from the mystical energy orbs that floated beneath the water, the ones that had been put there by the Ancients thousands of years ago.

"What do we do?" asked Vincent placing his hand against the barrier. Cloud looked around; there was nothing that they could use the barrier kept them from Zak. Suddenly something glittering at the top of the stairs caught Cloud's eye. It was some sort of basin that seemed to contain the Ancients thoughts and feelings, Cloud had encountered it the first time he had come to the City of the Ancients but he couldn't decipher it. Cloud ran flat out up the stairs and over to the basin. Cloud stood over the basin and plunged his hands into it. The rush of voices almost knocked him off his feet but he gritted his teeth searching for a single voice in the crowd. He was knocked back by the power of the Ancients. He gasped and sat up again.

"I don't recommend you trying that again" said Vincent who had walked up the stairs to se what Cloud was up to. Cloud sat up and plunged his hands back into it. Again he was knocked back, this time he connected with the wall and almost fell down the stairs.

"Cloud!" said Vincent grabbing him by the shoulders as he went for the basin again "The Ancients will keep doing this, soon you'll get hurt probably mentally"

"I have to" gasped Cloud

"Please don't" pleaded Vincent. Cloud raised an eyebrow, _Vincent pleading?_ Cloud thought

"I have to, you understand" said Cloud. This time Cloud knelt over the basing looking deep into its unknown depths and, after a second of doubts, plunged his face into it. Vincent went to grab him but the world stood still.

Clouds thoughts and feelings joined those of the Ancients, he could decipher the words but they were unimportant. Suddenly, through the voices, a soft voice sung out to him. Mentally Cloud swam towards her

"We're locked out" he said to Aeris' memories.

"Use what lies in your hands" she said and knocked Cloud back. Cloud leant against the basin gasping for breath, his head was pounding and he had to grip the basin to keep himself upright.

_The basin!_ he thought "This is probably an act of ultimate sacrilege" he told himself picking up the basin. With a hard throw the basin arched through the air and hit the barrier. The basin exploded as did the barrier. Cracks scurried up the walls of the building and Zak was knocked forwards by the blast.

Cloud slid down the wall groaning, the blast had shaken Vincent and himself and they were suffering the effects. Vincent was knelt down holding his head, his rifle lay a few meters away. Zak groaned getting back to his feet

"What the hell was that?" he asked looking around

_Ancient power_ said Sephiroth.

"Cloud!" said Zak walking towards him

_Don't! _warned Sephiroth _Finish the spell_

When Cloud sat up Zak was back to chanting.

Tifa and the others came running in

"Hot in here" said Cid. Cloud and Vincent looked back at each other

"It was freezing when we came in" said Vincent. They both looked back at Zak. The blood of the dead bodies was bubbling, the heat in the room was increasing by the second. Cloud and Vincent ran forwards along the smaller platforms. Cloud jumped, Buster Sword in hand. He arched through the air towards Zak who was crouched preying. A roaring noise was getting louder and louder as though something was coming towards them.

Tifa and the others watched from the top of the stairs as Cloud arched through the air towards Zak.

Clouds sword was inches from Zak's back when the roar got to its peak and the bodies caught fire.

"It's done" Cloud heard Zak whisper. The platform exploded in a ball of flames. The icy pool defrosted instantly. Zak and Cloud were thrown from the platform and crashed into the pool of water. Chunks of building came crashing down into the pool. Earthquakes rippled outwards shaking the entire planet. At the Gold Saucer entire platforms came crashing down killing hundreds. Light and dark elements ricochets around the underground cavern knocking Vincent off his feet and sending him crashing into the wall, most likely killed. Tifa had shielded her eyes and now she looked back at the platform engulfed in white flames. Screaming echoed off the walls, Zak had done more than bring back Sephiroth, he had opened the gates of hell in order to let his idol free. Tifa looked down into the pool and saw Cloud floating there.

"Cloud!" she cried and ran down the stairs past Vincent and dived into the pool. Zak awoke and swam upwards. He broke the surface and climbed out. Tifa swam upwards pulling Clouds body, not knowing if he was alive or not. When she broke the surface he opened his eyes taking deep breaths. Both of them swam along and climbed out. Zak was knelt there smiling. Cloud looked in the direction of the platform fearfully. His eyes were downcast and slowly he looked upwards.

Boots, black trousers, black shirt, that pale skin, those green eyes, that long silver hair.

Sephiroth was back.


End file.
